Maerua crassifolia
Encyclopedia
Maerua crassifolia is a species of plant
in the Capparaceae
family. It is native to Africa, tropical Arabia, and Israel
, but is disappearing from Egypt
. Foliage from this plant is used as fodder
for animals, especially camel
s, during the dry season in parts of Africa.
It is used as a common nutrition source in central Africa, where it is called jiga and made into soups and other dishes. Maerua crassifolia was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians. There are a number of historical medicinal uses. The plant has an entry in the 11th century Arabic encyclopedia The Canon of Medicine
under the name "meru" and this name became the source for the Latin genus name Maerua.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Capparaceae
Capparaceae
Capparaceae , commonly known as the Caper family, is a family of plants in order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, it contains 33 genera and about 700 species...
family. It is native to Africa, tropical Arabia, and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, but is disappearing from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Foliage from this plant is used as fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
for animals, especially camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s, during the dry season in parts of Africa.
It is used as a common nutrition source in central Africa, where it is called jiga and made into soups and other dishes. Maerua crassifolia was considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians. There are a number of historical medicinal uses. The plant has an entry in the 11th century Arabic encyclopedia The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine is an encyclopedia of Galenic medicine in five books compiled by Ibn Sīnā and completed in 1025. It presents a clear and organized summary of all the medical knowledge of the time...
under the name "meru" and this name became the source for the Latin genus name Maerua.